Policy Agenda

Instead of fighting individual legislative battles for one regulation at a time, putting a price on carbon is comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions, mitigating climate change. It accounts for the actual cost of burning fossil fuels, creating a more competitive market for clean energy sources.

Policy

There are many proposals on the table to price carbon: carbon taxes, carbon fee & dividend, polluter penalties, and cap and trade schemes. We’re supportive of all, understanding the need to appeal to a diverse group of elected officials and constituents. We do strongly support proposals with a ‘just transition,’ where funds are utilized to transition to a low-carbon economy. Some proposals suggest a carbon tax in place of any carbon regulation, and we disagree with that. We know that pricing carbon paired with strong environmental regulations is the best way forward.

Current Work

POW is currently working on carbon pricing legislation in state governments across the US. Learn more about the coalitions we have joined to put a price on carbon:

We believe in transitioning to a clean energy economy by investing in solar energy.

To realistically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels as a source of power, we have to utilize clean sources of energy. Solar energy is a sustainable source of energy with incredible potential for expansion and opportunity to develop on both the individual level and the commercial scale.

Policy

There are many policies that support the expansion of the solar industry, including financial investments for solar projects, setting renewable portfolio standards (how much electricity must come from renewable resources), and creating successful clean energy cash-back programs such as net metering (allowing solar customers to sell excess energy back to the grid). POW works to defend net-metering programs and solar tax credits, grow renewable portfolio standards, and support proposals for Green Banks.

Fire up the popcorn maker and settle in to watch Catching the Sun, a documentary film produced in 2016 by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio on solar as a solution to our climate and economic issues. Find it on Netflix! Or, get nerdy with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ article on the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act explaining how the legislation created a market for power from non-utility power producers (read: renewable energy).

Looking to ‘go solar’ yourself? Enter your zip code and learn about the policies and incentives near you through NC Clean Energy Technology Center’s Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. Read up on Let’s Go Solar’s similar resources here. For those of you that rent or do not own your home, study up on the Solar Energy Industry Association’s guide to Community Solar. Interested in getting your business to go solar? Check out the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center, making it easier for corporations to enter the renewables market.

We believe in utilizing innovative transit solutions to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

In 2016, the transportation sector surpassed the electricity sector as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Given this impact, there is a clear need for strong advocacy on innovative solutions to reduce emissions and transform transportation.

Policy

Like all of three of our focus areas, there are many policies that support greenhouse gas emission reductions in the transportation sector. POW engages on on protecting the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations on fuel efficiency and fuel economy standards as well as electric vehicle availability, infrastructure, and credit reform.

Current Work

POW has been working in multiple states to direct as much funding as legally allowed from the Volkswagen lawsuit settlement towards electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Here’s an article about the lawsuit’s mandate of developing an environmental remediation fund and a zero emissions vehicle fund.

POW will work to fight rollbacks to our national fuel economy standards, set by the Environmental Protection Agency.